Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV Reduces Holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV lessened its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 12.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 240,984 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 34,495 shares during the period. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV owned approximately 0.10% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $69,052,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of AJG. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,672,134 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,422,435,000 after purchasing an additional 3,851,661 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 10,067,647 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,857,737,000 after purchasing an additional 305,876 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 30.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 8,199,413 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,327,403,000 after purchasing an additional 1,910,471 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,277,993 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,779,248,000 after purchasing an additional 787,265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,421,591,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on AJG shares. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $352.00 target price for the company. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $308.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $370.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $307.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $318.57.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock traded up $3.84 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $342.12. The company had a trading volume of 973,172 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,315,140. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $330.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $311.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.51 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The firm has a market cap of $87.62 billion, a PE ratio of 52.47 and a beta of 0.78. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a fifty-two week low of $244.60 and a fifty-two week high of $350.70.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.10. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 16.47% and a net margin of 12.70%. The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.45 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.63%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 7,510 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.59, for a total transaction of $2,505,260.90. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 90,020 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,029,771.80. The trade was a 7.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co engages in the provision of insurance brokerage, reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party claims settlement and administration services. It operates through the following segments: Brokerage, Risk Management, and Corporate. The Brokerage segment consists of retail and wholesale insurance brokerage operations.